‘And how does that apply to Terrence?’
Payne shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Maybe he got desperate and borrowed money from the wrong people to finance his dig? And when he didn’t pay them back, maybe they came looking for him?’
‘Good heavens! That’s doesn’t sound promising at all.’
‘Relax, it’s just a theory. Then again, it would explain just about everything, including the Hail Mary to Maria.’
‘Hail Mary to Maria? I’m afraid you just lost me.’
Payne smiled. It was rare to find a topic that confused Ulster. ‘That’s an American football term. A losing team calls that play in the last seconds of a game. The quarterback throws the ball as far as he can and hopes that one of his teammates catches it. It’s called a Hail Mary because it’s nothing more than a prayer.’
Ulster laughed. ‘A Hail Mary! Such an ironic term for a barbarous game. I’ll have to remember that.’ He paused for a moment. ‘Now how does that apply to Maria?’
Payne sensed that Ulster didn’t quite understand the term, so he decided to spell it out for him. ‘For the sake of discussion, let’s say that Hamilton borrowed fifty thousand dollars to finance his dig, and repayment was due this weekend. Let’s also pretend that he borrowed this money from the wrong type of person: a loan shark or a criminal of some kind.’
‘OK, I’m with you so far.’
‘According to Hamilton, he was really close to a major discovery, but he realized time was running out, and his investor wasn’t the type of person he could disappoint.’
‘Terrence was scared for his life.’
Payne nodded. ‘So what does he do? He calls a Hail Mary — or in this case, a Hail Maria — in a last-ditch attempt to make his discovery before time runs out.’
Ulster sighed. ‘I’m afraid you lost me again on the last part.’
‘Which part of the last part?’
‘Don’t get me wrong: I understand your analogy. It’s clever and apropos. Hamilton is desperate, so he makes a desperate call before time runs out. The part that confuses me is Maria. Of all the historians in the world, why would he call her? And that’s not a criticism of her. She’s a talented researcher in her particular field, but I don’t understand how she fits. If this was about Christ, Maria makes sense. But if this is about the Maya, he could have done a lot better.’
Payne lowered his voice. ‘Just so you know, Maria is in total agreement. She can’t figure out why she was chosen for this job. According to her, Hamilton assured her that the project was right up her alley, but she’s in over her head and she knows it.’
Ulster groaned. ‘She must feel horrible.’
‘She does. And she’s taking it out on me.’
‘A big tough guy like you — I think you can handle it.’
‘I could, but DJ won’t let me shoot her.’
Ulster smiled. ‘A hundred years ago, that would have been perfectly legal in Mexico. Nowadays, I’m fairly certain it’s frowned upon.’
‘Yeah. That’s what DJ said, too.’
Ulster laughed loudly. Even though he loved his work at the Archives, he missed spending time in the field. Over the past few years, the most thrilling moments in his life had occurred with Payne and Jones by his side. Or, more accurately, with him at their side. Actually, that wasn’t correct, either. Most of the time, he was cowering behind a tree or running in the opposite direction while they fought their way to safety. The truth was, when the three of them got together, Payne and Jones called the shots — and fired them, too.
Ulster cleared his throat. ‘I know you haven’t asked, so if I’m overstepping the mark, please let me know, but I’m more than willing to fly to Mexico to assist your efforts.’
‘Jeez, I don’t know,’ teased Payne, who’d been hoping for the offer all along.
Unaware of this, Ulster pleaded his case. ‘Between the Maya and Maria, it sounds like you have your hands full. Not to mention my dear friend, Terrence. I would like to be there for him. You know, as a friendly face in a trying time.’
He sighed for effect. ‘Fine, I’ll let you come, but on one condition …’
‘Anything. Just name it!’
‘If I happen to shoot Maria, you have to help me bury the body.’
Ulster laughed at the joke. ‘No worries, my boy. I’ve done a lot of digging over the years. I have the perfect shovel.’
44
As long as the weather in Switzerland cooperated, Ulster’s private jet would arrive in Cancún in less than twenty-four hours. In the meantime, Payne had a few ideas about what they should do. That is, if he could convince Jones and Maria to go along with his plan.
Payne spotted them near the main entrance to Tulum. They had wandered off during the phone call and were sitting on a massive slab of grey stone that had once been a part of the western wall. From their vantage point, they could see most of the site and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. It was truly a beautiful spot.
Jones sensed his approach from behind. ‘How’d it go?’
‘Just as I expected,’ Payne said.
‘In other words, Petr’s packing for the airport — with an erection.’
Maria smacked his arm. ‘David!’
‘What? It’s just a figure of speech. I simply meant he’s excited about the trip.’
‘Then you should have said that. Why be so crass?’
Payne sensed a lecture coming, so he saved his buddy by changing the topic. ‘Maria, I’ve got some good news for you. Petr is friends with the Italian Ambassador to Switzerland. He felt confident that we could get you a new passport by Monday.’
‘Really? That’s wonderful.’
‘Unfortunately, it means we have to drive back to Cancún today.’
‘Why today? The Italian Consulate is closed at the weekend.’
Payne smiled. ‘Not for Petr, it isn’t. He said he’ll call us with a name and a time. All you have to do is show up and fill out some paperwork.’
‘That’s great, I guess. But I feel kind of guilty about heading back to Cancún. Didn’t we leave there to get away from danger?’
‘I’m glad you brought that up. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and I think danger might be a good thing.’
Maria stared at him. ‘Excuse me?’
‘Yeah,’ Jones said, ‘you might need to explain that one.’
Payne obliged. ‘After talking to Petr, I strongly believe we’re dealing with some desperate people. Unfortunately, we don’t know who they are or what they want. In my opinion, the worst way to handle a faceless enemy is to run away from them. On the road, everyone is a potential threat, and every place is a potential trap. It would be different if we were chasing a solid lead or trying to get across the border, but what we’re doing is foolish. I’d rather hunker down and take a stand than stumble around Mexico.’
Jones nodded in agreement. ‘Actually, that makes a lot of sense. Worst-case scenario, they make a move and we get to see who we’re dealing with. That sounds good to me.’
‘Really?’ she argued. ‘Isn’t the worst-case scenario actually death?’
Payne grimaced. ‘Death? Who said anything about death?’
‘I’m just making an argument.’
‘No, you’re making this difficult. I thought you said you were going to start trusting me? Hell, it’s not even about me. It’s about us. When are you going to start trusting us? DJ’s in full agreement on this one, yet you’re arguing with him, too.’
She glared at Payne. ‘What? I can’t have an opinion?’
‘Of course you can have an opinion. Have as many goddamned opinions as you want. But things would go a lot smoother if you kept some of them to yourself, especially when they’re outside your area of expertise. Seriously! Did I challenge a single thing about your Spanish translation? No, I didn’t. And do you know why? Because I can’t “sprechen de Spanish”.’